The timing of Warner Brothers decision to move exclusively to the Blu-ray camp is curious at best. While it's been rumored to be close to being a done deal for a while, one would think that the eve of a major CES event in which HD-DVD was to outline its strategy going forward with Warner Brothers by its side would be a bad time to drop such a bomb, thus leaving HD-DVD and all its members out to dry (they were forced to cancel the event - and talk is already moving to Warners being in breach of contract with HD-DVD!). So why now?

Well perhaps - and I realize this is a bit of a reach - Warner Brothers knows a little bit about what Apple is planning for its MacWorld event on the 15th. While rumors have been circulating that some kind of Blu-ray announcement might take place, what if the announcement is larger than most people believe? What if it's along the lines of what The New York Times Bits Blog brought up today - a new Apple TV with a built-in Blu-ray player?

Before you write it off as crazy, think about it. It would actually be a great idea and one I mentioned before in my 8 ways to save the Apple TV. One of the knocks on the Apple TV is its lack of optical drive. While Apple is clearly making a push for digital content, they made a mistake in not including a simple DVD drive in their initial device. People, including myself, were looking for an excuse to buy the device and a simple DVD-player replacement would have been enough for quite a few to take the plunge - especially for anyone who has seen how beautifully Apple handles DVD playback on their computers.

A DVD player would still be a nice addition, but what if Apple really went for the home-run with a Blu-ray player (that would of course still play basic DVDs as well)? Such a device combined with the announcement of the iTunes Movie Rental service AND Warner Brothers moving to the Blu-ray camp would be a HUGE seller. It would instantly transform the Apple TV from dud to stud.

Pricing would no doubt be an issue. The Apple TV alone costs $299 or $399 depending on which version you get. Blu-ray players, as everyone knows are still expensive and would likely add at least $200 to the cost of a device. But say Apple was able to get the cost of an Apple TV unit down to $199 or $149 - not out of the realm of possibility given how long the Apple TV has been out - adding $200 up to say $399 or $349 would be a VERY attractive price. Hell, even at $499 I would still buy one in a heartbeat.

So would Apple pull such a move? It's probably not too likely, but I wouldn't say it's out of the realm of possibility. Steve Jobs loves to 'wow' people with his keynote, and an Apple TV with built-in Blu-ray would be the perfect "One More Thing...".

[photo: flickr/acaben]